Sweet & sour spareribs

This originated in a recipe my wife collected when she was a schoolgirl. 
Since the Fourth of July is coming I thought I'd post it to the usual 
groups I use. 

The chilis can be either prik ki nu (birdseye chilis, or habaneras or 
Scotch Bonnets) if you like a hot flavor, or prik chi fa (jalapenas) if 
you want a sweet picquante sauce. 

enjoy. 

== 

ingredients 

1 pound spareribs 

marinade: 

1 tablspoon light soy sauce 
1 teaspoon fish sauce 
1 teaspoon prik Thai (black pepper), freshly ground 
1 tablespoon cornstarch/cornflour 
1 tablespoon rice wine 

Sweet & Sour sauce: 

half a cup of tomato catsup 
quarter cup freshly grated ginger 
1 tablespoon vinegar (preferably rice vinegar) 
1 tablespoon sugar (preferably palm sugar) 
one teaspoon fish sauce 
one teaspoon prik Thai (black pepper), freshly ground 
3 cups of beef stock 

You also need: 

quarter cup of chilis, sliced 
half a cup of fresh pineapple chunks 
half a cup of onion or shallots, sliced 
quarter cup of pickled ginger, shredded 
half a cup of tomato "meat" 

Method 

Mix the marinade ingredients and marinade the ribs for 4-6 hours in a 
cool place. 

Drop the tomatoes in boiling water to lossen the skins, and peel and 
quarter them, then discard the seed pulp and chop the 'meat' to yield 
half a cup. 

fry, broil, or barbeque the ribs until golden brown. 

In a small saucepan or wok mix the sweet & sour sauce ingredients, and 
bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly 
thickened. Strain out any lumps that have formed. 

Heat some oil in the wok or a frying pan/skillet until very hot 
(smoking) and add the chili, pineapple, tomato, onion and ginger, and 
stir fry until aromatic. Add 1 cup of the sweet & sour sauce mix. In a 
small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of 
water, and add this to the mixture to thicken it, then add the remaining 
sauce. 

Transfer the suace to a sauce jug, and place the ribs on a serving 
platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the ribs, and deliver the ribs and 
the jug of sauce to the diners.